At their September work session, the Durham Public Schools board faced urgent testimony on four issues: immigrant student safety, school air quality, classified staff shortages, and climate action—with parents and staff expressing frustration over what they described as district failures and inaction.
The most emotionally charged moment came when Katie McDonald, a DPS teacher, accused district leadership of misrepresenting indoor air quality test results. She detailed how the district hosted an open house for hundreds of families on August 22 without having test results in hand, then told staff on August 28 that air quality was safe—a claim McDonald discovered was false. Results weren't actually received until September 8, she said. McDonald, who has fallen ill and whose immunocompromised student has missed three weeks of school over the concerns, told the board: "You make me want to quit teaching...that's a goddamn shame." She questioned how older buildings across the district are faring if a 32-year-old building has such issues.
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